First Light

38 im staying

Marlo:

Faye seems to have disappeared entirely, I can't seem to find her anywhere.

When she didn't come back from getting herself water, I excused myself from the group to go and get her, but she wasn't in the kitchen. I've checked every room in the house, traumatised myself from walking in on people hooking up, but no Faye. She's not picking up her phone, either.

I go back to the kitchen. "Have you seen a girl with dark curly hair?" I aim the question at the least-drunk person in this room. "She's got green eyes, wearing a light-blue jumper and  khaki kind of colour trousers. She was here a few minutes ago."

The girl I'm speaking to nods, and her two friends nod with her. "She got black hair? With like beads and stuff in it?"

Dark-brown I correct her silently, but nod. "Yeah. White beads?"

They all nod again. Her friend speaks. "Yeah, we saw her. She was talking to a blonde girl."

"Did she go off with her?" I ask.

"No, they just talked. The blonde walked off by herself. The girl you're asking about was getting a drink, pretty sure."

"Did you see what direction she went in? I can't find her, I've looked everywhere."

"No, sorry. I didn't see." Her friends agree with her.

I force a smile at them. "Okay. Thanks, anyways. If you see her please tell her that I'm looking for her and that she needs to call me. I'm Marlo, by the way. If you forget, just describe me to her, will you?"

They all nod again. "Yeah, of course."

I head out of the kitchen and do another round of checking the house, trying to call Faye again, but she still doesn't pick up. I can feel myself panicking now, my head filled with horrible scenarios that she could be in.

I even check outside, where the front of the house is, and that's where I see her, sitting down in a corner by herself on the grass, smoking a cigarette.

I run over to her, past other people talking and smoking. "Faye, are you okay? I've been looking for you."

She is resting against a fence that separates this house and the next, and she tilts her head up slightly in my direction, eyes half-closed. She's been sick on the ground in front of her, some of it on her jumper. "Yes, of course, Marlo. I couldn't be better."

Her speech is slurred and full of pauses, and that's when I notice the alcohol bottle sitting next to her arm, half-hidden in the shadows. I kneel down so I'm her level, the slight dampness of the grass making my jeans feel cold.

I reach over to the bottle, ignoring her protests as I pick it up. It's tequila. "Faye, did you take this from the kitchen?"

"Yeah, so?" She sort of snaps at me, sighing a little.

"How much have you had to drink?"

She doesn't answer straight away, and then takes a big inhale. "Kind of a lot. I feel really dizzy right now."

My heart is thumping in my chest. "Okay, I think it's best if we call it a night. I'll tell Georgina that I found you." I take out my phone.

Faye grabs my wrist, her green-stone rings digging into my skin a little. Her nails are painted with one of the nail varnishes I got her for Christmas. It's as close to her eye colour as I could find. "No, no, I don't want her to see me like this again. Please don't."

I hesitate, looking back and forth between both of Faye's eyes. She looks scared, almost.

Again.